For most emergency care teams, initial intravascular access is performed intravenously, despite the challenges posed by low cardiac output physiology. Intraosseous (IO) access has been included in recent Resuscitation Council UK (2010) adult advanced life support (ALS) guidelines for cases in which intravenous access is difficult or unavailable. This article discusses how the use of IO access devices can improve ALS therapy for patients who are in, or who are at risk of, cardiac arrest.